Recalled for product safety today were ground beef and organic celery seed

GROUND BEEF

Tyson Fresh Meats Inc., a Dakota City, Neb. establishment, is recalling approximately 40,948 pounds of ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The following products are subject to recall:

10-pound chubs of “CHUCK FINE GROUND BEEF 80/20,” packed in cases containing eight chubs.

The products subject to recall have a “BEST BEFORE OR FREEZE BY” date of “11/13/11” and “EST. 245C” on the box label. The products were shipped to institutions and distributors in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

The problem was discovered through routine FSIS monitoring which confirmed a positive result for E.coli O157:H7. FSIS and the company have received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of these products.

E. coli O157:H7 is a bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and in the most severe cases, kidney failure.  The very young, seniors and persons with weak immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness.  Individuals concerned about an illness should contact a health care provider.

FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers.

FSIS advises all consumers to safely prepare their raw meat products, including fresh and frozen, and only consume ground beef that has been cooked to a temperature of 160° F. The only way to confirm that ground beef is cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful bacteria is to use a food thermometer that measures internal temperature.

Consumers with questions regarding the recall should contact the company at (866) 328-3156. Media with questions regarding the recall should contact the company’s Director of Public Relations, Gary Mickelson at (479) 290-6111.

Consumers with food safety questions can “Ask Karen,” the FSIS virtual representative available   24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov. The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from l0 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day.

PREPARING GROUND BEEF FOR SAFE CONSUMPTION

USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline, 1-888-MPHOTLINE or visit  www.fsis.usda.gov

• Wash hands with warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling raw meat and poultry. Wash cutting boards, dishes and utensils with hot, soapy water. Immediately clean spills.
• Keep raw meat, fish and poultry away from other food that will not be cooked. Use separate cutting boards for raw meat, poultry and egg products and cooked foods.
• Consumers should only eat ground beef or ground beef patties that have been cooked to a safe internal temperature of 160º F.
• Color is NOT a reliable indicator that ground beef or ground beef patties have been cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful bacteria such as E. coli O157:H7.
• The only way to be sure ground beef is cooked to a high enough temperature to kill harmful bacteria is to use a thermometer to measure the internal temperature.
• Refrigerate raw meat and poultry within two hours after purchase or one hour if temperatures exceed 90º F. Refrigerate cooked meat and poultry within two hours after cooking.

ORGANIC CELERY SEED

B&M, Inc. of Mount Vernon, Missouri is voluntarily recalling O Organics Organic Celery Seed sold in Safeway stores due to potential Salmonella contamination. The product is sold at all Safeway-owned stores, including Safeway, Carrs, Dominick’s, Genuardi’s, Pak ‘N Save, Pavilions, Randalls, Tom Thumb and Vons. In addition, Swanson Health Products are also recalling their organic celery seed, sold under the Swanson label.

Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.

O Organics Organic Celery Seed is packaged in a glass bottle with a net weight of 1.8oz (51g) and marked with a UPC 0-7989341124-8. The product was sold at stores from May 25, 2011, through December 16, 2011. Bottles with the following lot codes and “Best By” dates are subject to the recall:

The lot number and best by date can be found on the bottom of the bottle. No other O Organics spices have been affected by this voluntary recall. No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this voluntary recall.

B&M, Inc was notified by their supplier that a lot of Organic Celery Seed had potential Salmonella contamination. The recall is based on a positive result for salmonella that was found during routine testing.

Consumers in possession of this voluntarily recalled product may return it to the store at which it was purchased for a full refund.  Consumers or media with questions should contact B&M, Inc. at 1-877-321-5852 (Monday – Friday, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm CST) or you may contact Safeway directly anytime at 1-800-SAFEWAY.